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STRASBOURG, France- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday proposed launching a "real European army", an initiative that also defends French President Emmanuel Macron and was criticized by US President Donald Trump, NATO's senior associate
"We must work towards creating a truly European army one day," Merkel told MEPs two days after the centennial commemoration in Paris of the Armistice ending the First World War.
According to the Chancellor, an armed force of the community "would show the world that there will never be a war between the European countries".
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Merkel asserted that the European army would be "a good complement" to NATO, despite the fact that Trump considered "insulting" the fact that Europe wants to strengthen itself militarily instead of the military. increase its contribution to the Atlantic Alliance.
The chancellor said that Europe can no longer trust beyond its borders, statements that acquire a special meaning after the Trump and Macron controversy of the weekend.
Macron said that if the Europeans increased their military budget, they "build" their autonomy and not "buy American arms", while Trump considered "very insulting" that the French president proposes to a European army to protect itself from the United States. United, China and Russia ".
"I share President Trump's vision that we need a much better deal within NATO, and that's why I think my proposals for European defense will go quite in this sense, "said Macron in Paris.
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In the same vein, Ms Merkel told MEPs: "the time we could trust others was left behind and we Europeans had to assume our own destiny if we wanted to defend our community" .
In addition to the European army, the Chancellor proposed a "Security Council" with rotating presidency and to improve the foreign policy of the community.
In the speech delivered to the Strasbourg Chamber, no doubt her last speech to the European Parliament after announcing that she would not stand for re-election in 2021, Merkel praised "European values" such as "solidarity" and "tolerance" and has implicitly warned member countries such as Poland, Romania or Hungary about the importance of respecting rights such as academic freedom or freedom of expression.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also warned against nationalism in her speech and called not to forget the "horror" that nationalisms suffer on the old continent.
It was the historical commemoration of the 1918 armistice in Paris
"Selfishness, nationalism can never prevail in Europe, tolerance and solidarity must prevail, who are the representatives of our common future and this deserves to be defended," he said. .
In the same vein, he stressed the importance of all countries participating in both the strengthening of the euro area and immigration and refugees, a question which the latter wished to insinuate as "mea culpa". ".
"Solidarity also means defeating national egoism, and I am aware that Germany has not always given the perfect example, at least to some, for example, before 2015, it took us a long time to understand as Germans that the refugee issue affected us, but everyone, "he said before the plenary session.
With regard to immigration, Merkel stressed the need to set up both a common asylum system, a coast guard and a border control, and opted for an intensification of cooperation. with Africa.
Regarding economic and monetary union, the German conservative president has described as "essential" the "stability" of the system and noted that France and Germany are employing to submit proposals to complete the banking union towards the end of the year.
In the economic policy also said that it is "essential" to establish a digital tax and develop new technologies to deal with powers such as China.
Merkel was booed by the left of the European Parliament, but especially by the Europhobes, who tried to silence the Chancellor's applause with shouts and explosions that made it worthwhile for the Speaker of Parliament, Antonio Tajani, to ask himself It was necessary to call "a veterinarian"
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